Cycladic spouted bowl with remains of blue pigment

Characteristic of the Early Cycladic II period (2800-2300 BC) in the Cyclades is the great number of variations which can be identified in the shapes of vessels. This deep bowl is provided with a spout on one side and a lug on the other. A thick layer of blue pigment (azurite) is preserved at the bottom of the vase. It is not clear whether the vase was used for preparing pigments for the decoration of other objects - as is suggested by the spout - or if the content was simply meant to satisfy cosmetic purposes. In any case, this bowl adds to the large corpus of evidence testifying to the widespread use of colour decoration in the Early Bronze Age Cyclades.